Reflecting sign



Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1' Claims.

The present invention relates to signs in general and particularly to light-reflecting signs. More specifically the invention comprises a new and novel sign suitable for residence numbers which is provided with a reflecting element of relatively easily broken material, such as coated glass, the reflecting element being so arranged and supported that it is entirely protected from shocks and vibrations received by the sign. In a preferred embodiment the sign is mounted just above the surface of the ground, as in a parking in front of a residence, and the novel relationship of parts provides a structure which endures indefinitely.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel sign. It is another object of the invention to provide a sign in which the breakable reflecting element is exteriorly visible yet is protected completely from shocks. A further object is to provide a sign in which a frangible reflecting element is interiorly mounted in a protected relationship such that shocks received by the exterior of the sign are not transmitted directly thereto and indirectly only thru resilient means. Another object is to provide a two-sided reflecting sign in which the reflecting elements of frangible material are mounted interiorly of the sign and are protected from direct shocks. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following description and claims and upon referring to the drawing attached hereto.

Referring nowto the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed, and in which the same reference character refers to the same part in the various views:

Figure l is a. front view of a sign constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section thru the sign upon the line 2-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an interior view with one of the sides removedbut with the reflecting unit in place;

Figure 4 is a. horizontal section thru the base of the sign showing the support-clamping means, the view being a section upon the line H of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a partial horizontal section upon the line 5-5 of Figure 1 and discloses the seating relationship of the reflecting unit with the adjacent side walls.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and comprises a body having two main parts which are a frame I and a socket 2. The body is formed of two opposed parts which separate upon a vertical plane. Each part contains one side of the frame I and one half of the socket 2.

Each side of the frame is formed by a rectangular L-sectioned rim 3 which is interiorly formed with spaced abutments 4, 4, etc. The abutments in the opposed rims are of the (same size, and are preferably aligned as is shown in Figure 5.

The sections of the socket 2 are formed with flanges 5, Sat their sides and in the assembled relationship these flanges are luxtapositioned.

The body sections are secured together to form a unit by bolts 6 and nuts I which are positioned at the four corners of the frame and in the flanges 5, 5, the bolts extending in each case thru an aperture 8. The body is easily assembled and disassembled by the expedient of positioning and securing the bolts and nuts, or removing them, as the case may be.

The reflecting unit comprises a central metallic supporting plate 9 to the opposite faces of which are secured light reflectors l0, It by. means of a resilient mounting I I of any suitable type such as rubber cement, vulcanized rubber, etc. The reflectors, according to the invention, are carried by the supporting plate and any suitable resilient intermediaries or combinations thereof which effect this function are within the scope of the invention.

The light reflectors i0, iii are made of glass silvered or suitably coated to impart to it a lightreflecting quality. The coating is preferably placed upon the back of the glass which is mounted on the support plate 9, the front surface preferably being dimpled to insure greater light diffusion.

Each reflector III is enclosed by a characterforming shield II. The shield is a flat stiff 11187 tallic plate, the top and bottom edges of which extend at right angles to the-main portion and contact the support plate 9 above and below the reflector without contacting that element itself. The shield edges are of such height that the shield face extends parallel to the reflector face at an appreciable distance therefrom. The shields l2, l2 in a preferred form are secured to the support plate 9 by the action of the resilient cement which overlies the faces of the plate.

Characters are formed in each shield l2 as by stamping metal therefrom, or they may be sawed into the metal. Any suitable method can be used to form the characters, which may be letters, numbers, or designs of any type. Care should be exercised, however, that the characters are not of such size and shape as to leave exposed large areas of the underlying frangible reflector.

08 The reflector unit, comprising the reflectors Ill,

l0, their supporting plate 9, and their protecting clamps the unit in place. No force is exerted thru the glass reflectors, the force of compression passing directly from shield to shield thru the metallic supporting plate I.

The sign is preferably mounted in the ground upon a vertical pipe embedded therein. Such a pipe is indicated at II in the drawing and is provided with a flattened .end to make easier the operation of driving it into the ground. The

- upper end of the. pipe extends into the square interior of socket 2 where it is clamped by a U-bolt II, the ends of which extend thru one section of socket 2 into screw threaded relationship with nuts l5, it. As is clearly shown in Figure 4 the normal interior cross-section of the socket is enlarged at the bolt ll to, provide a seat It therefor in which the bolt may slide into clamping relationship with the pipe II or may move out of contact therewith. V

The sign constructed in accordance with the present invention protects the fragile reflector thru mounting it resiliently and thru providing a metallic character-forming reflector shield therefor. Shocks received directly by the sign body, or by the shields do not pass to the glass reflector except thru its resilient mounting and accordingly the life of the sign is increased indefinitely.

I claim: 1. In a reflecting sign, an open-sided frame, a socket integral with said frame, manually ad- .iustable means to secure said socket on a member positioned in the ground, a frangible reflector in said frame and visible through the side thereof, and means resiliently supporting said reflector on said frame to prevent the transmission of shocks received by said frame thereto.

2. In a reflecting sign, a body divided upon a bisectingplane into two separable parts, each part comprising a frame section and a socket section and formed with abutting portions, means to clamp said parts together, and a reflector unit clamped. between the said frame sections and including a rigid element in contact with said frame 2,142,571 character-forming shields l2, n, is adapted to be sections and frangible reflecting element out of contact .with said sections, characterized in that the clamping force on said reflecting unit is exerted thru said rigid element only.

3. In a reflecting sign, a body divided upon a bisecting plane into two parts, each part comprising a frame section and a socket section, a reflector unit comprising a frangible reflecting element, a metallic supporting plate therefor extended at the sides thereof and between the parts of said frame, and an overlying shield spaced at all points from. said element and extended between the parts of said frame, and means to exert a clampingv force thru said frame, said supporting plate, and said shield only.

4. In a reflecting sign, a two-part frame comprising opposed rims, a reflector unit carried by said frame including a central support plate, frangible reflector elements carried thereby on opposite sides thereof, and shields seating on opposite sides of said plate in overlying, spaced,

protecting relationship to said reflector elements,

said rims contacting said shields, and means drawing said rims toward each other and exerting aforce in compression thru said shields and plate only.

5. In a reflecting sign, a support plate, a frangible glass reflector plate, rubber means mounting said reflector plate upon said support plate, a

shield seating upon said support in spaced protecting relationship to said reflector plate, and a body clamping said shield to said support plate,

and'means to support said body.

. 6. In a reflecting sign, a'reflecting unit comprising a supporting element and a frangible reflecting element carried on the side thereof, a divided frame the parts of which are positioned upon the opposite sides of said supporting element and encircle said frangible element, means to draw said frame parts together to clamp said supporting element therebetween, and a mounting means formed by said frame parts to seat upon a fixed support to position said sign.

7. The structure recited by the preceding claim characterized in that a rigid shield overlies said frangible element in spaced relationship and is itself clamped between the parts of said frame at the sides of said frangible element, said shield being formed with apertures.

EDWARD W. MENKE. 

